Posts Tagged ‘Norfolk.’

With the National Football League trying to end its lockout and get training camps and preseason games underway, the United Football League has announced that it will be pushing back the start of its season from August to September.

The schedule switch does not help the UFL which has lost more than $100 million in the first two years of its existence.

The UFL has teams in Omaha, Hartford, Norfolk, Las Vegas and Sacramento.

The league had hoped to gain viewers and fans during the NFL lockout, by scheduling early-season games on Sundays.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed one of the young, promising players, forward Mike Blunden to a one-year, two-way NHL-American Hockey League contract.

The 24-year-old Blunden appeared in one game for Columbus in 2010-11. He collected 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points and had 41 penalty minutes in 37 games with the Springfield Falcons, Columbus’ AHL affiliate. He missed the majority of the season due to injury.

The Toronto, Ontario native played in 40 games for the Blue Jackets in 2009-10 scoring 2 goals and adding two assists.

He made his NHL debut with Chicago on October 25, 2006 against Vancouver. Blunden has career totals of 2-2-4 with 69 penalty minutes in 51 career NHL games.

Chicago’s second pick, 43rd overall, in the 2005 Entry Draft, Blunden was acquired from the Blackhawks in exchange for Adam Pineault on January 10, 2009. He has recorded 52-68-120 and 294 penalty minutes in 240 career AHL games for Springfield, Syracuse and Norfolk.